ABRAMS Dinner Party Spotlight: Joy Bauer's Superfood...Featuring Banana Cream Pie Overnight Oats #ABRAMSDinnerParty #JoyBauerSuperfood #overnightoats #banana #breakfastod

It's time for my first Spring feature as part of the ABRAMS Dinner Party cookbook blogging group. I was so excited to receive Joy Bauer's Superfood! This cookbook is full of recipes that achieve the sweet spot of healthy and delicious. Bauer is a Registered Dietitian who is NBC TODAY show' nutrition and healthy lifestyle expert... and a New York Times best-selling author. Superfood has a wide range of recipes in categories like Morning Meals, Superfood Fries, Enticing Entrees, and Sweet and Savory Snacks. So many recipes caught my eye -- including Bauer's One-Skillet Lime Cilantro Shrimp and Salted Caramel Chia Pudding. I ultimately decided on an overnight oatmeal recipe from the Morning Meals section of the cookbook.

Joy's outrageously tasty, ultra creamy Banana Cream Pie Overnight Oats are simple to whip up the night before. Even better? They used staple ingredients that I already had on hand in my kitchen. After hanging out in the fridge overnight, my breakfast literally took five minutes to finish assembling the next morning...when I topped my container of chilled oats with sliced bananas, chopped pecans, and a drizzle of honey. If you've never eaten chilled oats, you're in for a real treat! Make sure you use a very ripe banana for this recipe -- it will provide a perfect amount of sweetness to the finished oatmeal. If chilled oatmeal is something you simply can't do? No problem! Warm the oatmeal in the microwave for a minute or two and enjoy it warm instead.

Banana Cream Pie Overnight Oats

from Joy Bauer's Superfood 

Ingredients (one serving -- but is easily doubled):

• 1 ripe banana, peeled
• 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese (preferably whipped, but any type with curds will work) [NOTE: I used Dairy Pure Smooth Cottage Cheese]
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/4 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbs. chia seeds
• Optional toppers: sliced banana, toasted nuts, shredded coconut, dash of cinnamon, or honey

Directions:

Step 1: Microwave the banana in a bowl for about 30 seconds to soften it up. Remove from the microwave, add the cottage cheese, and mash the two ingredients until they're well combined. (NOTE: Whipped cottage cheese -- similar in texture to Greek yogurt, without the tang -- will provide a completely smooth texture, while traditional small curd cottage cheese will provide a lumpier consistency; both will taste delicious).

Step 2: Add the almond milk, oats, vanilla, and chia seeds. Stir everything together until combined. Spoon into a container -- a mason jar is perfect! Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours -- overnight is perfect. 

Step 3: Garnish with your choice of sliced banana, toasted nuts, shredded coconut, cinnamon...or any other topping you like. I used pecans and added a drizzle of honey. 

This overnight oats recipe is so creamy and decadent that you'll never know how healthy it is. Because the banana is mashed in the recipes base, every bite is bursting with banana flavor! I loved the textural contrast provided by the pecans too. The nutrition facts for this breakfast are excellent: each container provides a whopping 21 grams of filling protein and 10 grams of fiber. When people ask me about the texture of chilled overnight oats, I tell them the texture is similar to chilled rice pudding. Overnight oats are an ideal way to enjoy oatmeal during warmer months. One taste, and I was hooked. Trust me and give it a try...I know you'll "go bananas" for it! That's a really bad pun...